Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
The humanity behind GANG WARS
Dark side of ‘West Side Story’ sees Daniel Richards
infusing his Bernardo with a danger element
Ennie Draad (gang terminology to describe the relationship between a leader “Die Glas” and one of his highest ranked members “Die Draad).
He co-wrote and performed the play, which won a Standard Bank Silver Ovation Award at the 2016 National Arts Festival.
Die Glas wasn’t a musical and is worlds apart from West Side Story. Still, the fundamentals run deep: the need to belong to a gang in order to fit in and survive.
Can we expect a grittier, physically charged Bernardo in this West Side Story?
Richards: “What surprised me the most with my interactions with that gang leader, was how human he was – and how troubled he was. You would expect a man with that kind of power to scare you with his bravado, but his stillness scared me the most.
“His one desire was to get out of the circumstances he is currently imprisoned by, but he can’t just walk way away at the risk of being killed. This thought lingered in my mind as I approached the character of Bernardo. Does he want to be the leader or was he forced to adapt out of circumstances?
“My Bernardo will have a danger element to him and I am a very physical actor in a physically demanding show. As with every character I approach, I first want to fully understand the human side to my character without judgement. Regardless of how dangerous or powerful a person is, they have thoughts and experience emotions.
“Those thoughts and emotions exist in different contexts and circumstances, which influences what thoughts that person may have and what is a dominant emotion they may experience. Bernardo experiences a lot of prejudice in his current circumstances.”
I loved West Side Story first time round and cannot wait to see Richards as Bernardo.
Richards charges all his work – from stand-up to satire – with an intense physicality and urgency.
Earlier this month, he participated in Jesters at the
Park at Maynardville – a comedy platform presented by the Cape Town Comedy Club.
He captivated the audience when he performed excerpts from Mike van Graan’s satires Pay
Back the Curry and State Fracture. Brilliant.
He has been nominated for a Fleur du Cap for State Fracture (awards to be announced in a ceremony on March 18 at The Baxter).
● West Side Story is at the Artscape Opera House from March 7 to April 8. Performances are from Tuesdays to Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 4pm and
8pm and on Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are R150-R470. Book at Computicket; Artscape on
021 421 7695 or from the Fugard Theatre box office on 021 461 4554.